Chapter 16: Day 6- The Fateful Evening

Riku watched the sun move higher into the morning sky from a rock. Below, he could sense magical movement, though not in detail. He knew the arena was beginning to fill for the final battle. The light shone down on Crocus in an almost fairy tale way, making the castle glimmer and sparkle. On their hill top just outside the city, the four mages had been debating the next step all night and into the early morning. Now, they were here, in the sixth day of the Magical Games. They still had too many questions.

"I told Meredy to nap until Jellal returns with this future Lucy," Ultear said, standing next to Riku and overlooking the kingdom's capital below. "Maybe you should do the same."

"Ultear," Riku asked carefully, folding his hands together but making sure not to look at her. "The other night when we saw that image in the arena, that was really the past wasn't it?"

"It was 400 years ago,"Ultear replied.

"So you can see the past even when you haven't witnessed it yourself with that orb," he observed. "Can you also see the future?"

Ultear hesitated and the silence seemed to pull on for eons in Riku's mind, though it was only a minute or two. Finally she spoke, "I can't."

"Have you tried?" What if you hold that orb up right now and show us what this view looks like tomorrow? We could verify what Lucy says. Even if you just show us a few hours, maybe we could make a plan."

"It doesn't work like that," Ultear said. "The future isn't set like the past. Any given moment, even the smallest new interaction, could set it into a completely new direction. The very fact that this Lucy from the future has arrived means that events might unfold in a completely different way than before. Perhaps for better or for worse."

"Not every interaction changes everything," Riku commented. "If I went back in time to Tenrou Island seven years ago and warned everyone that Acnologia was on his way, that wouldn't have changed his attack. They wouldn't have been able to escape faster, not while battling all of you."

Ultear stiffened, but Riku didn't notice as he continued to stare determinedly into the arena below.

"But that's just hypothetical," Ultear replied. "It might have changed everything. Maybe Acnologia would have recognized you and stopped his attack."

Riku let out a sour chuckle. "You think the man we saw in the orb last night would have stopped because of me? This goal is to wipe out all dragons. I would have been on the list."

"No parent could kill their child," Ultear countered, laying a hand on Riku's shoulder comfortingly. "I once thought my mother abandoned me for a fate worse than death, but it was all a lie. I found out that she and I were deceived. How much time I wasted hating her when all I had to do was approach her and make amends. To tell her I was still here in this world with her."

"What was she like- your mother, I mean?"

"She was a natural mother," Ultear said, a smile tugging at her lips. "Always good, caring, and loving. She said her children were the light of her heart and life. She'd do anything for them. I was a feverish child because I had too much magic and she would always sit by my bed, taking care of me. She use to use her magic to make huge rose gardens in my room because she knew it was my favorite flower. I'd watch them grow and bloom. She was very humble and always willing to sacrifice herself for others."

"She sounds nice," Riku agreed. "Especially that rose ice magic. Did she teach that to you?"

"She did," Ultear smiled to herself.

"And she had more than just you, huh," Riku asked. Ultear watched Riku carefully, the light catching his features, making them look more defined and grown up than they usually did. He didn't look at her, but took her silence as confusion. So he added, "you said she cared for her children, so there was more than one?"

"At first, there was just me," Ultear agreed. "But then I had a baby brother as well, named Ubel."

"What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure, my mother never talked about it," Ultear said. "All I know is that he and my father disappeared before I started getting sick."

"You never looked for him?"

"I heard rumors about him, but I didn't look for him for a long time because I was obsessed with my own anger and looking for Zeref's Books and resurrection. But then, after Tenrou Island and after we started Crime Sorcière, I wasn't sure he'd want to meet me. He doesn't deserve a sister who has so much sin to make up for. My life is dedicated to trying to fix even just a few of my misdeeds. I can't drag an innocent person into it."

Riku made a sound of understanding. "What would you have said if you did meet him again," he asked. Below them the city was beginning to show signs of magical confrontation here and there. The final event had obviously begun.

"I don't even know if I'd tell him I was his sister. I haven't been much of a sister all these years," Ultear admitted. "Maybe I'd ask him 'how have you been all these years?'"

"I'm sure he'd say he was fine and not to worry so much," Riku replied. He looked down at his hands in his lap, following the lines and callouses on his palms. "My father found me in the woods and trained me as a Dark Dragon Slayer. Everywhere we went there was destruction and chaos and at first I thought it was a strange coincidence but later, when I was older and alone, I realized it was him. He sometimes told me I had to train in order to help him destroy all the dragons one day, even the God dragons. If what Lucy said is true, then this evening I turn into a dragon, not like we saw him in the orb 400 years ago. This transformation sounds like it is forever. So, you see, my father will want to destroy me, even more than before."

He looked up at Ultear, doing his best to smile in a way that reached his eyes. "And so that's why I'm asking if you can see the future and if it's true. If I can just see if it's true, then maybe I can avoid losing control and completely losing myself to a dragon."

Ultear's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth slightly open and suddenly dry. What should she say? "Riku..."

Riku stood, running his arm across his eyes hurriedly before turning away from the capital below, "I think I will take that nap until Jellal comes back. Wake me up as soon as he get here, will ya?"

Ultear nodded, watching as Riku moved away. He seemed to mutter something, perhaps more to himself than to Ultear, but it seemed to carry on the wind just enough to tickle her ears, so softly she was sure she imagined every faint syllable. If Ultear really pushed herself to believe it had been anything more than a soft breeze, she would say that it almost sounded like Riku said, "thanks, sis."

It had only been a breeze, though. Ultear allowed herself to fall into a sitting position on the rock. Carefully, she brought the orb to her lap, where it's weight seemed to tempt her. She moved her eyes back to the city below.

...

Jellal arrived back with Future Lucy as the sun rose to the middle of the sky. She seemed hesitant, glancing impatiently to the castle below as she fidgeted nervously under the gazes of Riku, Meredy, Jellal, and Ultear.

"It's hard to believe, I know," Lucy said. "But you have to believe me. I came back as a desperate measure- to try to stop the future that kills so many people and releases 10,000 dragons into the world."

"Tell us what you remember," Meredy said calmly. "We need to hear it from you, not Jellal."

Lucy gave another glance at the castle before beginning, "I was captured with Yukino. Then Natsu, Happy, Mira, Wendy, Carla, and Lily came to save us. They said that Fairy Tail was fighting a war on two fronts: one in the arena and one to rescue me."

The mages looked to Riku, who nodded to confirm. "Master and the first master made a plan last night. I don't know all the details, but Juvia is taking Natsu's place in the arena today. One portion of our team will battle in the tournament while another team will try to rescue Lucy. Since everyone's focus is on the games, no one will have their eyes on the castle."

"But we set off a trap and fell into a dungeon below. We fought some knights, it was difficult but we won," Lucy continued. "We somehow managed to escape the Abyss Palace, but we stumbled on the Eclipse Machine. We couldn't use Magic so we were all sent back to jail. That's where we were when the castle collapsed."

"I do sense tremendous power clashing in Crocus, but not just in the final event," Ultear confirmed. "It's coming from the castle as well."

"I came back to stop the horrible future from occurring," Lucy said hurriedly standing. "And now I have to go find Natsu and the others to help. I know where they are because I was there before. We must leave the castle and stop the future."

"You can't go in there alone," Riku said, "I'll go with you." He made a move to stand, but he felt Jellal's heavy hand push him back down.

"We have a huge gap in our knowledge about what causes these dragons to come to be in Crocus at all. It makes more sense for Crime Sorcière to be on the look out to stop the dragons if Lucy fails."

"I'm not part of Crime Sorcière," Riku reminded him.

"If you lead them from the Abyss and out of the castle, one of us will be waiting," Ultear agreed with Jellal, making Riku scowl. He glanced at Meredy, who nodded in as well. It was three to one. He was outnumbered.

"I'll take you as close to the castle as I can undetected," Meredy said. They moved hurriedly away, leaving Riku, Jellal, and Ultear behind to begin to strategize.

In the city below, a huge yellow column of light erupted into the sky.

"That's Erza's power," Ultear observed. "Are you worried?"

"No, she's faced worse than any of these guilds can offer," Riku replied, glancing sideways at Jellal. "If anyone should be worried it's you. That Kagura is out for your head."

Jellal nodded with a grim expression. "I accepted my fate long ago. We all have."

"I heard the future isn't so set," Riku said. "But, maybe you don't believe that as much as you claim. You didn't want me to go with Lucy because you're worried I might lose control and turn into a dragon like she said I did in her future."

"That's only part of the reason," Jellal conceded. "It's true that we don't know what triggers your transformation in Lucy's future. Even without that information, it wouldn't be the first time you'd lost control of yourself." Riku narrowed his eyes at Jellal, about to snap back when Jellal cut him off by saying, "More than that, if dragons are going to appear over Crocus, I'd prefer we know where all the dragon slayers are and that includes you."

"We don't even know if what we heard is true," Ultear admitted.

"You think Lucy lied," demanded Riku.

"Thinking about it all," Jellal said, "There are just too many things that don't add up. Is it because Lucy doesn't have all the answers we need or did she lie? Is she really Lucy at all?"

"What do your instincts tell you," asked Ultear.

Riku scratched his head thoughtfully. "That castle has been giving me a weird feeling ever since we got here."

"So you believe her," Jellal observed. "You think that is really Lucy and that she is telling the truth, to her knowledge."

"I do," Riku said firmly.

"Then we'll have to act in a way that protects as many people as possible and tries to change the fate of the capital below," Jellal said.

"Evacuation," Riku suggested.

"It'll cause a panic," Ultear countered. "Besides, its outlandish. How would we get any one to believe us?"

They debated on the next steps even as Meredy returned and the sun began the move across the sky, turning noon to dusk. Finally, Jellal stood, stretching his back.

"It makes the most sense to send Riku back to Fairy Tail. Once this is over, all the guilds will be congratulating one another. That will hopefully put the dragon slayers of Sabertooth with the dragon slayers of Fairy Tail. Even if Natsu is still in or near the castle, that will give us about six dragon slayers in one place."

"And what are you going to do," asked Riku. The three Crime Sorcière mages exchanged a knowing look, though they obviously weren't going to share their thoughts with Riku.

"We'll need to do our part as well," Jellal said.

Riku let out an impatient breath. "Fine, keep your secrets. You know how to reach me if anything changes," he said, tapping his ear as he turned to make his way back to the city and arena below.

The three mages watched him descend until he was well on his way to the city. The very first star began to appear above them, even as the sky remained mostly pink and orange. Crime Sorcière turned to head down the opposite side of the hill, determined to put their own plan into motion. But first, Jellal had to ask Ultear a question that he hadn't be able to before.

"What did you see," he asked softly, nervous about the discussion even though he knew Riku was long out of ear shot. "I know you looked into the future, even though it isn't set. We need as many details as we can get. What did you see, Ultear?"

See you next time! Hope you enjoy!